The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-08-25

BY ALEX DUKE BAILIE.

These were the monotonous words
continually piped forth from the lips
of a poor old man who for years
haunted the neighborhood of our Of
fee.
He was white of face and hair, his
narrow shoulders bent with ago, his
hands were well-nigh useless from the
palsy, and his tottering limbs seemed
every moment about to refuse further
support to his frail body.
From strap over his shoulders
was suspended in front of his chest a
shallow box containing several dozen
lead pencils, and some friendly clerk
had numerically designated in a pla-
card on the lid, "2-4-5," the price
which formed the burden of his cry.
had bought of him several times in
order to try and draw him into con-
versation, but he would not talk to
me Or any one.
After on absence Of over la months
from the city, the morning after my
arrival, as reached the office door,
spied a short distance up the street
the familiar face of old 1.-Two for
Five" and to my amazement in front
of him standing like son by afather,
but towering far above, was Jack
Blunt, the big, rough, noble fireman
whom had known from boyhood.
The old man had one OF Jacks
great brown hands in his own two
trembling palms; for minute he
seemed to be gazing up into Jacks
face, then he bowed his head for mo-
ment and the two parted.
Blunt walked slowly down past me.
stepped out from the doorway and
saluted him with a hearty slap on the
shoulder.
"Hello, cap! Back again? Glad to
see you. How's everything"
"All right, Jack; but look here, I
want you to tell me what the dickens
you and old "two for five" were at
just now. Was he hoo-doin' or bless
ing you? Inor no one else ever could
get word from him, and you are the
last man in the world ever expected
to see him chum in with"
II see! you was away, cap. I'd
rather some one else would tell you
than me, but I'll give it to you
straight and short as can, and then
there won't be no frills on the story
that some of your newspaper fellers
be sure to dress it up with"
"Come up to my den, Jack; smoke
and let's have it."
"It was winter fore last" said the
gallant fre-laddie, chat one bowling,
showing, sleeting blizzard of q night,
January II it was, and bitter cold
| enough to freeze the legs off a. red hot
stove; there came the call from box
96, down there in the poorest, worst
section of the eighth ward. Twas
9.45 when we started, and in IL min
utes we were at the ground and had
our streams on. But Lord the wat
er iroze almost afore it got an inch
from the nozzle, and the fire burned
as though it knew it had the best OF
| us.
There was an old three-story ram
shackle shanty that just swarmed with
people, too skeered to help them
selves, so we bad to rush in and help
or pitch them out. We thought the
place was emptied and was going to
let 'er burn and try to save property
worth something when little black
kid ketches hold of me and says:
"Say. mister, dars an old man an
his sick darJer up'n de top ho'; de's
white, en- de's good, en- dc can't holp
| demselfs."
"By George! was knocked all of a
heap, ARE you lynn, you black imp?'
says 1.
'Deed no, mister. de's dar, and dell
bun up eff yo' dun't fetch en-"
''The old shell was pretty we'll afire
by that time, and the smoke in it was
awful. Here goes, anyway, thinks l.
SO l off with my coat, puts it over my
head, and started to crawl up the
rickety old stairs. When got to the
top floor or garret, found all the
doors were shut; busted one open
with my foot; no one there; then
busted another, and in it found
who do you think?
"There was old 'Two-for.fve' sitting
close to bed. and leaning from it q
girl OF about 20, the purest face l ever
saw in my life. Her two thin arms
were about the old man neck. There
they were waiting without cry, bott
knowing there own helplessness unit
rescue come or death by fire should
devour them.
at beat all ever saw-theatre OF
anything-the whole picture, the calm
ness of them two. The girl was with
out the use of her limbs, and the old
man had no power in his hands OF
arms.
"Here's help!" cried the girl. "Oh
sir, take my father. Go, father, go!''
"For Gods sake, save my Mary!
Man, she's crlppled-can't move. Save
my Mary" That's what the old chap
said.
"Well, I had to act, not talk; so
| just rolled that girl up head and all in
the bed-clothes and jumped for that
old stairway. There was bout as
much fire there as l wanted, but got
through, run the bundle across the
street to Batty Sewers place now
you know where the fire was - and
laid it right down on the floor nigh the
stove. Then uncovered her face.
"Father Save my fatherl" That was
the only thing she said.
"Pm goin' to, says I,though I didn't
hardly believe l could, but went fol
it. And / tell you it was a devil OF q
job. But Igot up, and there was the
old man, cool as parson at a picnic
settin' with the flames licking into his
window. I bundled him up IN my
coat and carried him-he don't weigh
half q pound-down stairs, somehow
don't know how we ever did get out
OF there alive, except it was that gir
was over there prayin' for us. But
laid the old man 'longside of his Mary
and then sorter laid out myself, for
was in no bad state of barbecue fol
any cannibals that liked their meat
rare.
''In minnit / heard . row; the
place had been full, but / saw old Bat
ty, the biggest old tough in this town
q hustlin' and shown and bootin' al
the fellers out of the place, blamed i
he wasn't. He'd caught sight of thai
girls face and it fetched him. HI
( | cloo n al avorv 1ivius sorl hor.kaorars